Happy Retirement, Barb.

After 27 years with the company, Barbara (Barb) Williams, Sales Operations Administrator, is retiring. Already a seasoned publishing professional, Barbara began working on Ophthalmology Times Europe® (OTE) in 2012 as we began to transition from a predominantly print-based publication to the truly multi-media brand we have today.

Barb’s hard work, steady hand and willingness to embrace new technology has helped to develop our brand and ensure our readers receive cutting-edge content across all our platforms on a daily basis. She achieved all this whilst simultaneously supporting the Pharm Tech Group and, more recently, taking on the additional responsibilities of UK office manager.

Our colleagues in ophthalmology, their testimonials below, agree:

“Barb has been a rock for me, personally speaking, during my tenure as editor for OTE and now that I am European editor for the Pharm Tech Group. On a business trip once, I was stranded in Schiphol airport due to adverse weather and the first person I thought of calling was Barb, who managed to calm me down, help me out of a bind and get me sorted to fly back home. No fuss; just helpful and cool as a cucumber in a crisis. Barb will be sorely missed by all of us who have had the pleasure and honour of working with her.” – Felicity Thomas, European editor, Pharm Tech Group (former editor of OTE), MJH Life sciences

“Best wishes as you retire, Barbara. This is such a well-deserved moment, and we thank you for all your years of dedication and loyalty to OTE. It has been a pleasure to work with you as a valued colleague across the pond. Congratulations on achieving this important milestone, and good luck for this exciting next phase.” – Sheryl Stevenson, group editorial director, Eye Care, MJH Life Sciences

“From the moment I joined the company in 2017, I knew that Barbara’s diligence and loyalty to the firm was unmatched. She will be missed by many people!” – Caroline Richards, editor, OTE, MJH Life Sciences

“In the years we have worked together, Barbara has been not only been a dependable and professional contact to us but also a pleasure to deal with. Always friendly and customer-oriented as well as extremely organised! What else can one ask for? I wish her a long and happy retirement!” – Leticia Jiménez Buil, team leader marketing communications, Heidelberg Engineering

“Barbara, what a great pleasure it was working with you all these many years. The sad news is you are leaving. The great news is you are leaving for new borders, new horizons. I will miss you both professionally and personally: your reliability, accuracy, kindness and humour. And always with a smile. Remember us as your good friends. Have fun in all you will be doing!" – Philip Staehler, marketing manager, Heidelberg Engineering

“Barbara, the entire Oertli team wishes you all the best for your deserved retirement. It was always a pleasure working with you. We especially appreciated your reliability, efficiency and kindness, no matter what our request was. Enjoy your life ‘after work’! Many thanks and all the best to you.” – Corinne Seitz, head of marketing communications, Oertli Instrumente AG

“You will be greatly missed. You are a fantastic person to work with, since we always very much appreciated your very friendly reminders. We admire your calmness and professionalism. You are also great company: I very much enjoyed our lunch meetings at ESCRS. Whatever plans you pursue in retirement, may you enjoy them all the more knowing how completely you deserve this happy time of life." – Judith König & Isabelle Sauer, global marketing, Oculus

“Barbara is such a sweet person to work with. She is kind and courteous, reliable and always putting her clients first. It has been a pleasure working with her the past few years. We will all keep Barbara in good memory and wish her a great, healthy and happy future!" – Joela vom Stein, global marketing, Oculus

“For the past decade, I feel the unflappable Barb has been a steady hand to steer my clients through their challenging campaign deadlines. Her help—with a pleasant demeanour throughout—has been invaluable. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Barbara a very long and happy retirement. She will be missed by all of us on the client side. à bientôt." – Graham Priestley, ophthalmology media consultant, Clinical Forums Ltd.

Personally, I have relied on Barb every day to provide consistent support, advice and seemingly endless attention to detail, always accompanied by her dry and sometimes sardonic sense of humour, which has never failed to encourage me through the everyday challenges.

Although I will very much miss our daily telephone calls, I am looking forward to hearing the stories and seeing the photos from Barb’s planned adventures with her husband navigating Route 66 in the United States and exploring Western Australia.

Please join me in congratulating Barb and wishing her the very best in her well-deserved retirement.

– James Tate, European sales manager, OTE, MJH Life Sciences